1. Technical Field
The present teaching relates to methods, systems, and programming for information sharing. Particularly, the present teaching is directed to methods, systems, and programming for multimedia information sharing through a network.
2. Discussion of Technical Background
Cloud computing service providers deliver applications via the Internet. Such cloud supported applications can be accessed on desktops or mobile devices via, web browsers, while the operational software and data are stored on servers at some remote location(s) in the “cloud” One of the promising application areas in the context of cloud computing is information sharing among different users because the “could” enables a user to access systems or applications via a web browser regardless of the location of or device type the user is using. As the backbone supporting infrastructure is off-site (typically provided by a third-party) and accessed via the Internet, a user can virtually connect to an application from anywhere. Early examples in this area include screen-sharing applications where one person's screen can be encoded video stream and real-time delivered to other persons. In another examples, business applications have been coded entirely using web-based technologies. In still another example, business applications for information sharing are often developed using web-based technologies where information is shared using web browsers.
Traditionally, people share information online through means such as email, instant messenger, message board, desktop sharing, etc., which may not be effective and efficient, especially when multiple parties are involved and when the shared information includes multimedia information. For example, traditional online meeting based on screen-sharing may introduce a significant latency because it requires transferring the desktop information of the presenter in the form of a video stream to each of the participants. Moreover, currently, there is no effective cloud-based platform for multiple users to modify shared information in a simple and straightforward manner and consolidate modifications to the shared information from different users in an intuitive form. Therefore, there is a need to provide a solution for sharing multimedia information with an improved user experience.